Simulation of early Earth conditions and long-term study of the resulting molecules <span>would most likely be key to gathering evidence that the "RNA World" hypothesis is valid.</span>
The answer is; Simulation of early Earth conditions and long-term study of the resulting molecules
It is believed that the first molecules on earth were made spontaneously through reaction spurred by energy from lightning and also the heat from the earth. It is believed that these molecules over time then formed polymers through the catalysis by metals in the oceans. These polymers were able to self-replicate and also act as enzymes since they were able to fold up. This hypothesis was coined by Carl Woese, Francis Crick and Leslie Orgel in the 1960s. To prove it, the then conditions of early earth need to be replicated, data collected, and analyzed.
